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• 1 2021-04-23T22:52:23+00:00 The Olive Tree: Gift for Summer 8 Object 2 Submission plain 2021-05-13T02:31:06+00:00

  By Mateja Markovic

  For my second contribution to the Inter Arts Cabinet of Curiosity, I opted to manufacture a gift for Summer. While I was initially going to handcraft a piece of jewelry, in my conversation with another member of the seminar, I decided to write a poem instead. From what I could gather, Summer enjoys reading poetry, and the gift would draw a great parallel to my songwriting skills.  
  
  The starting idea that I went into writing this poem with was that I knew some of us were having a hard time . Aside from our personal situations, the workload circulation at this time in the  semester is a large source of stress . With multiple midterms happening in the same week, assignments that don’t seem to end and the constant pressure from some mentors who prioritize our results over our mental health, I thought that we could all use some words of encouragement. A poem that encourages, to be precise.  
  
  This morning in class, I found myself thinking just what I normally do: “Oh dear God, twenty more minutes, I wish it could be over right this instant.” From there, my mind raced on a tangent. How often we just want time to pass, but don’t think twice about the fact that we are never going to get it back again? Like, this very instance: You are never going back to it again. We, as human beings, should appreciate our minutes on this Earth more than we currently do.  
  
  By now, I had a very clear vision for the piece. 
  
  Now I was thinking how to connect it to Summer. I  haven’t gotten acquainted with her on a deep and personal level yet, but I do have a very good idea of the kind of person that she is, from some of our interactions and mostly: Art projects. When you evaluate someone’s art, you get to know them in a specific way. You see a part of them- a very intimate one at that.  
  
  In my experience, I concluded, Summer is like an Olive Tree. A very calm, kind individual, who wishes nothing but good for the people around her. Never have I gotten even a spot of aggressive mojo coming from her. This kind of person is a very rare one to encounter, but I am personally very thankful that they exist, having befriended a few of them in my lifetime. Hence, the name of the poem was born. The Olive Tree is also known in the Eastern European culture as a symbol of peace and mutual understanding.
  
  The main body of the following text just flowed out. I did very little editing between the first draft and the final version- mostly structural editing I would say. In a way, the poem was a synthesis between my personal experiences, the thoughts that I sometimes have, and the usual doubts of probably everybody. Most people will, at one point or another relate to this piece. I was initially going to keep writing, but have since decided to keep the poem the way it is now. It does a sufficient job of saying  everything I wanted it to.